There have been two bands with the name The Charlatans. 1. An alternative rock band from the United Kingdom (1988-present) 2. A psychedelic rock band from the United States (1964-1969) 1. The Charlatans (known as The Charlatans UK in the U.S. to avoid confusion with the 60s group of the same name) were originally formed in the West Midlands/Northwich area of England in 1988 by bassist Martin Blunt, who recruited fellow West Midlanders Rob Collins (keyboards)